Robert Downey Jr. has played a more crucial role in the development of the Marvel Cinematic Universe than any other actor. He played Tony Stark in the multi-billion dollar “Iron Man” franchise in 2008. Since Tony Stark gave up wearing suits in “Avengers: Endgame,” things haven’t quite been the same.
Robert Downey Jr. nearly took up the role of Victor Von Doom, another armor-plated Marvel character. Kevin Feige and Jon Favreau recently spoke about Downey Jr.’s meeting with producers to discuss playing Dr. Doom in the 2005 “Fantastic Four” movie on Marvel Entertainment’s YouTube page. Julian McMahon won the job in the end.
The rumored combination of Doom’s upcoming arrival to the MCU combined with the character’s association with Iron Man in the comics are leading some fans to speculate that Downey could play the part for real. There are several ways this could happen in the MCU.
Doom Once Took Over The Mantle Of Iron Man
In the Marvel Comics miniseries “The Infamous Iron Man,” the man inside Iron Man’s armor is no longer Stark: It’s Victor Von Doom! The chain of events that led to this scenario doesn’t have any connection to the MCU. Still, it’d give Robert Downey Jr. a chance to return to the MCU as a supervillain while also nodding to one of the most unusual storylines in the history of Marvel Comics.
The well-known Multiverse is one more possibility in this situation. Recently, the MCU has been obsessed with the idea of other universes, preparing fans for a scenario in which Tony Stark becomes Dr. Doom rather than Iron Man. Both are somewhat narcissistic individuals who defend themselves in incredibly strong war gear that they have created for themselves. The ideal alternative to Downey portraying Doom would be a another timeline in which The Avengers or the Fantastic Four confront an evil Tony Stark.
Of course, everything is conjecture. There has been no hint that Downey will rejoin the Marvel Cinematic Universe. But if he does decide to make a comeback, these options might provide him with a means of doing so without devaluing the Tony Stark saga and allowing viewers to witness how Downey portrays one of Marvel’s most recognisable supervillains.